Fears for Monaghan economy if mushroom sector fails due to peat harvesting issues

There are fears for County Monaghan's economy if the mushroom sector was to fail due to peat harvesting regulations.

That's according to Senator Robbie Gallagher who was speaking this week as local mushroom producers protested outside Leinster House, in opposition to peat shortages.

Supplies have dried up after a 2019 court ruled that peat harvesting in Ireland required special permission, through An Bord Pleanala, then local authorities and after that, the EPA.

Mushroom farmers are one of the largest users of horticultural peat in the country.

Senator Gallagher said they are an integral part of the county's economy.